Master of My Heart
by destinyxdemming
Summary: Clare Edwards is a girl who's lived her life by the rules, and she had no idea that when she went and got herself a job at Gold Inc. as an assistant that her life would be upturned by one dark haired, green eyed man. Eli is different from any man she's ever met, and his smirk dares her to cross the line from her world into his. {BDSM. NC-17 kids!}
1. Interviews Are a Bitch

"Clare, honey, are you ready yet?" My mother's voice calls from down the hall, and I roll my eyes at myself in the mirror, the powder brush never stopping as I hastily apply my makeup.

"I'll be done in a minute, go get a cup of coffee from the kitchen." I call back to her, hoping that she'll be able to navigate my apartment alright. It's small; small enough that all of my furniture plus my roommate, Alli's, almost didn't even fit. Still, it was cozy to us, and we'd learned to jump over the back of the couch if we wanted to sit down and watch TV. Most nights she was out with her boyfriend, Drew, which left the TV to me luckily. She was always droning on, and on, about Project Runway, and Jersey Shore, and I just wanted to settle in and watch some 60 Minutes, or watch the News to see what was going on. Of course, that was in between college courses, and trying to find a job to pay for all of my college debt, which really didn't leave me with much television time.

"Clare! Hurry up, you're going to be late!" my mother screeches, making me wince. I finish adding my mascara, and straighten to see how I looked. My brown hair is pulled back in a half-up style to keep it out of my eyes, but there's no helping the mass of curls that halo my face. My blue eyes pop more than usual, with the mascara and the navy blazer and skirt making them seem almost an icy shade of blue, rather than their usual blandness. I look… Pretty. Professional, but pretty enough to say "I care about how I look, but I'm not looking to gain attention. I'm here to work." I smile at myself, and nod once at my reflection.

Walking out of my room, I make my way out of the hallway and into the living room. My mother sits on the couch, a cup of coffee in her hands. At the sound of my heels on the floor, she looks up and blinks a few times slowly, her lips pursing slightly, and a crease forming between her eyebrows. "If you weren't so low on time, I'd have you go wash the gunk off of your face. It's way too much." She says, and I flinch internally. I thought it'd been an okay amount, but apparently I was wrong. The urge to go wash it off quickly flashed in my mind, before she takes a sip of her coffee and shrugs her shoulders daintily. "Oh well, though. It's your job interview, not mine." She stands up and walks over to me, adjusting my blazer and stepping back. I hold myself still as she appraises me, trying not to show the way her comment had bothered me. "Well, alright. I guess you'll do. I'm rooting for you." She crosses her fingers and smiles at me. I smile back, and lean over to hug her quickly.

"Love you, mom. I'll call you when I'm done with the interview." Pulling back, I walk over to the front door, grabbing my briefcase which held my portfolio, and all the paperwork I needed for the interview, and then grab my car keys off of the side table. My mother follows me out the door, her own keys in hand. She'd insisted on coming over before I left to make sure that I was "interview ready" as she'd put it. Or, to put it bluntly, bitch about whatever I'd chosen. I sigh internally and walk over to my car, unlocking the door and sliding inside, the leather of the seat cool on the backs of my thighs. My car is my baby; a 2011 Kia Soul that was a chocolate brown color. I'd named it Latte, and I keep her cleaner than I did the apartment, mainly because Alli couldn't mess it up ten seconds later by spreading all of her fashion magazines out everywhere.

I watch as my mom pulls out of the parking lot; unrolling the window to wave at her as the car sped off in the opposite direction that I was headed. I hit the button on the side of the door twice to roll the window up automatically as I back out of the parking space, and pull onto the street. It was a nice neighborhood, Deep Meadow Village, all trimmed lawns and matching brick buildings with terraces placed evenly on each side of the building. Alli and I were so excited when we'd scored a place here, even though we barely managed to pay rent every month, which was why I was in desperate need of a job.

I maneuvered the streets of Deep Meadow until I finally hit the main road, which was pretty quiet for a Manhattan noon. Of course, that changed when I hit the center of the city, backed up traffic everywhere. I sigh, glancing anxiously at the clock on my dashboard. I drum my fingers against the steering wheel of my car and prayed by some miracle that I will make it there in time. Manhattan was blinding at this time of day, the sun glinting off of cars, buildings, signs, and basically everything around you. The tall skyscrapers loomed up above, blocking out most of the sky from view. The joys of living in New York.

As each car inched its way forward, I could finally see the top of the building. It was a tall skyscraper that was almost all windows. What wasn't a window was gold colored framing that made it look like a solid gold brick towering over Manhattan. As I got closer, I could see the words "Gold Publishing Inc." on the side of the building in big, bold, black letters. Overall, it was… Intimidating. Pulling into the parking lot only made the building grow in size, and I could feel my heart rate increase. I parked the car in an open spot marked "guest" and turned Latte off.

"Come on, you can do this." I mumble to myself, taking a few steadying breaths before gathering my things and getting out of my car. I patted Latte's hood once for good luck, and made my way inside the glass revolving doors that lead me inside. The walls were painted white, and the floor was covered in gold carpeting, and every piece of furniture was black, as well as expensive looking. I very nearly walked out right then, deciding that I was way out of my league, when the receptionist looks up. She was blonde, with even blonder highlights in her layered hair, and she eyes me with one eyebrow arched in distaste.

"Name?" she asks, her voice oozing impatience. I step closer to the desk and clear my throat, trying to fight back my nerves. If I can't even speak to a receptionist, how the hell am I supposed to handle an interview? I square my shoulders and smile tightly at her.

"Clare Edwards." I say, placing my briefcase on the desk. She nods at me slowly, almost as if she were mocking me.

"What do you need?" she asks, still sounding like I'd interrupted her during the most important moment of her life. Everyone looks up, eying us with interest, and I can feel my face heat up. _Breathe, Clare…_

"I'm here for an interview for the mail room job." I say, fishing the Want Ad out of my briefcase and holding it up; the advertisement circled in red marker so that it was easier to find. She reads it over, her right eyebrow still arched. I can't help but wonder if it was just stuck like that, perhaps. Finally, she shakes her head, and takes the paper from me.  
"Terrible job; poor pay, bad coffee, and miserable people." She types in a few things on her computer, her keystrokes loud in the quiet room. I glance around again and see that everyone has gone back to what they were doing. The typing stopped, and I turned my head at the sound of a printer. She holds a piece of paper out to me, and says, "An assistant position just opened up a few days ago. The pay is much better, and you don't have to run around all day long. Trust me, you'll thank me if you get it."

I blink a few times in shock, looking down at the paper in my hand, before looking back at her. "T-Thank you. Very much." I stutter, and she shrugs one shoulder, reaching for the phone and shooing me off with a wave of her hand. Oh… I quickly move aside and look down at the paper that reads "FLOOR: 60" at the top. I walk over to the elevator, and hit the little button, waiting for the elevator to reach my floor. When the elevator dings, I step in, along with a few men and women dressed for work. They all hit their floor numbers before stepping back. I step forward and trail my eyes all the way up to the number sixty. Oh my, it's at the very top, in a little row of its own. I press it, and watch as it lights up. The people in the elevator give me dumbstruck expressions, and I look back at them with a confused expression of my own. What, is Floor Sixty haunted?

The elevator doors close, and I grasp the cool metal handle of the elevator as it begins to move upwards. We stop at the occasional floor, picking up people or dropping them off. By the time we're at fifty five, no one is getting on, and I'm the only one left in the elevator, the button for the top floor shining at me, and making my palms sweat anxiously. When the elevator dings to announce that I've reached my destination, I let go of the handle and step closer to the elevator door as I wait for it to open. When it does, I step into a room that makes the other one look like it was nothing.

The walls are black, along with the carpeting. Every other surface in the room is gold. Even the desks look like they're made out of gold. I feel my lips part in surprise as I take it all in. I walk over to the receptionist, this one not even noticing that I walked in like the other one. She sits at her desk, her black hair pulled up into a tight bun on top of her head. She types away on her computer, looking up only once I stand directly in front of the desk.

"What can I do for you?" she asks, her fingers still moving swiftly across the keyboard even though she's looking at me. Her eyes are a hazel color that makes her pale skin look even paler, and her face seemed like it slowly came to a point at her chin. She seemed… Fierce. I hand her the piece of paper with all the information on it, and she quickly scans through it, her eyebrows going up in surprise for a second before she hands the paper back. "If you go sit down, Mr. Goldsworthy will be with you in just a second." She says, and then she's back to her own business.

I walk over to the plush black chair, and sit down, crossing one leg over the other as I rest my briefcase on the floor next to my chair. The wall behind me isn't really a wall; it's solid glass, and from here I can see that I'm towering over most of the city. I swallow convulsively and grip the arms of the chair a little tighter. I'll have to get over my fear of heights if I get the job. _If_ being the operative word. I really need this job, or else Alli might kick me out. She's been hinting at Jenna moving in with us, when we clearly have no room for a third person. I can take a hint, but I'll go kicking and screaming before I have to move back in with my mother.

"Edwards?" a voice calls. It's soft; caressing each letter in a deep tone. I look up, and meet the greenest eyes I've ever seen. They also belong to the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. His hair is a dark brown, so dark it almost looks black. His skin is pale, and his lips are practically heart shaped. _God, stop staring at his lips and answer him!_

"Y-Yes?" I manage to stutter out, feeling my neck warm in embarrassment. I stand, and bend to grab my briefcase. I look up to see him staring at me, not saying a word. _He's looking down your shirt, idiot. Stand up! _I listen to my subconscious, and right myself, tugging at the hem of my blazer. I know I shouldn't feel so excited, but the realization that he was looking at my body sends a rush of heat through me.

"Your interview?" he asks, all business, his eyes no longer intense or appraising. Instead he seems almost bored, like he has better things to do. "Come with me." He turns on his heel, giving me a view of his backside. He's not dressed in a full suit; wearing the shirt, tie, and pants, but lacking the full effect. He looks too casual to be in a place like this, and I can't help but wonder how he gets away with this. Still, I follow him into an office that's almost as big as the other room, and that was filled with cubicles for all the other workers. In the center of the room is a big, black desk, that has a little sign on it that reads, "Elijah Goldsworthy, Executive Officer" I watch him take a seat at the desk like he owns it, and I realize suddenly that he does. I'm being interviewed by the owner of the building.

I sink into one of the chairs, and cross my ankles, trying to maintain my cool. I have to remind myself to breathe a few times, but other than that I feel like this is going well so far. Of course, that's until he speaks.

"Well? Where are your papers? References?" He speaks slowly, as if talking to a child, and I scramble with the clasp on my briefcase as I hurry to get all of the paperwork out of my briefcase. I can feel the blood rush to my cheeks in mortification as I hand them over, still unable to speak. Why couldn't I have been interviewed by a woman or at least a man over fifty? Why did it have to be someone who made my throat close up? He reads through my list of references, and my background information quickly, before setting the papers on his desk. "You realize you have no business experience whatsoever, correct?" he asks finally, eyeing me like I'm a fish in the middle of a barn, clearly not in the right place.

"Yes, but I-"

"And, of course, you realize this is a very important job. You'll be my personal assistant, yet hiring you would obviously be a mistake, because you won't have a clue what you're doing." I can feel myself deflate at his words, knowing he's right. I should have just stuck with the mailroom job, even if they have bad coffee. It was a stupid quick switch, and I don't know why I even let her do it. He interrupts my self-rant as he adds, "Can you even work a fax machine?"

I bristle at this, my shoulders squaring as I realize that he's belittling my intelligence. I stand, and my hands close into fists. "Yes, in fact I _can_ work a fax machine. How hard can an assistant's job be? I get you lunch, I fetch coffee. Oh, it's so difficult." He sits back in his chair, his eyes conveying his surprise but I continue on anyway. "You know, I think it's quite obvious that this job isn't for me. So I'll just-"

"Sit. Down." He demands, and the tone of his voice makes me obey, sitting quickly, my breathing slightly faster than normal due to my ranting. I see something flash in his eyes- satisfaction?- before it's gone quickly, the bored expression back in place. "Do you always do as you're told?" he asks, looking bemused.

"To be honest? Yes." I answer, shrugging my shoulders up slightly. He stares at me for a few moments, and I shift in my seat uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling like something under a microscope. He lets out a slow breath, and rubs his face with one hand, as if he's extremely tired. Suddenly, he grabs the phone on his desk and dials a number.

"Rose? Yes, I want you to enter Ms. Edwards into the system, she'll be starting Monday. Yes, also-" the rest of his words are drowned out due to my own shock. He hired me. I don't know why he did, but he hired me. Inside I'm doing a happy dance of glee, but on the outside I remain calm, and poised, waiting for him to get off the phone. When he does, he stands and walks around the desk. I rise up, coming face to face with him, or well, face to chin. I have to tilt my head up to see his face, but he seems almost wary. "I'm taking a chance on you, Edwards. Don't make me regret it." He says quietly, and holds out his hand.

"Of course not, thank you Sir." I say in a rush, and shake his hand quickly, still shocked that I managed to even get the job. He released my hand slowly, and steps back.

"Can you start tomorrow?" he asks, crossing his arms over his broad chest. _Yum, that chest… Stop!_

"Absolutely, I'll be here." I answer, nodding quickly. It makes me feel like a bobble head doll, and I quickly stop. For the first time during the interview, he smiles at me, and oh boy when he smiles does it change his face. It goes from serious to boyish; the kind of boy who rides motorcycles, takes your virginity in the back of his car, skips school, and wears leather jackets, all the while giving you that sexy little smirk that makes you okay with all of it.

"Well, Ms. Edwards… Welcome to Gold Publishing Inc."


	2. Bringing Home the Bacon

**So, I realize now that I completely forgot to write a cute little comment for all of my readers at the beginning of the last chapter. -Shrug- Oh well. Hi, it's me, here with Chapter Two. Don't get used to this whole "Once every day" thing, because I'm on break for Thanksgiving (Happy Turkey Day!) which is the only reason. Other than that, expect a few every week. I love the reviews I got, hopefully I'll get some more this time, because I love your feedback. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who enjoys sexy Eli. **

**Read on, babes!**

**xxoo- D**

* * *

When I open the door to the apartment, Alli is sitting on the couch, her brown hair up in a sloppy bun as she watches a rerun of Project Runway. At the sound of the door closing, she looks over at me and her face tightens a bit as she asks, "And?" I smile widely, so wide that my face feels stretched out.

"I got the job!" I say, letting myself finally be excited. I do a little happy dance, and hear Alli congratulating me. I drop my briefcase and step out of my heels, walking over to the couch and jumping over the back of it. I land on one of the cushions and kick my feet up on the side of the coffee table, grinning at Alli. "Yup, you're looking at the assistant to Mr. Goldsworthy." I say, and fluff my hair. She sits up suddenly, her eyes snapping in interest at the mention of my job.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She says, pointing her finger at me accusingly. "You said you were going to work in the mail room. You said nothing about being a sex god's personal assistant!" she pouts dramatically and flops back against her seat, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling. "Why is it that St. Clare gets the hunky boss and I get to work for Olga?" she asks, and I can't help but laugh. Olga is her boss at Dots, the little fashion boutique she works at. All Alli ever talks about is the mole that sits right above her upper lip, and how she's sure that there's a hair growing out of it.

"He's not _that_ gorgeous." I say, even though I know it's a total lie. He's everything she said and more. Plus, that smile… I feel a little shiver at the memory of it, and see that she's watching me with a smug look plastered across her face.

"Don't even. If you don't think he's hot, then maybe you should go to the doctor, because that man is smoking hot." She says, pretending to fan herself. "Oh la la, come to mama." She adds, with a little laugh, and it's contagious. She stands and walks into the kitchen. I curl my legs up under me and relax, trying to soak up my last night of freedom before becoming a working woman.

"Ta da!" Alli says, walking back into the room with two shot glasses and a bottle of alcohol. I shake my head, my face scrunching up in disgust.

"No way. One shot leads to two, which leads to ten, and I am a working lady. I can't go to work drunk on the first day." I watch her pout at me, before setting the glasses down and pouring the clear liquid into each. She holds one in each hand and holds one out to me.

"I, Allia Bhandari, solemnly swear that this shot shall be our one and only for the night, in celebration of Clare Edwards getting a job. Amen." she says, and I can't help myself from taking the little glass in my hand and holding it up. It was definitely something to celebrate about.

"To bringing home the bacon!" I say, and tip my head back and let the alcohol sear its way down my throat.

-x-

_Eli eyes me from across the room, standing half in the shadows of the dark room. I'm panting, my breaths the only sound in the quiet room. I stare at his eyes, still green even though everything else appears to be different shades of black and grey. His lips curl up at the corners in a sexy smile, and a little moan slips from my mouth. He steps closer to me, and I can see now that he's shirtless, merely wearing a pair of black jeans. I want- no, __**need**__- to touch him. I go to move my hands and find that they're restrained. I look up at one wrist and see a leather strap around it, and it ties to one of the bed posts. I hear Eli's chuckle of amusement and I turn to look at him again. "Oh, Clare… Did you really think it'd be that easy?" he places his hand on my stomach and slowly trails it down my body, making me wriggle in need. "I'm going to make you beg for it." He growls, and he cups my sex in his hand. My head lolls back and I whimper in need, trying to tilt my hips up into his hand. He slips one finger inside of me and I hear his hum of approval. "So wet for me already." Suddenly his lips are on my neck, and then his teeth are tugging at my earlobe. "Baby, we're just getting started."_

I wake with a start, covered in sweat and the sheets tangled around my legs. I lie in bed and breathe, trying to slow my heart rate as I stare at my ceiling. My skin is flushed and overheated, and I have to kick the blankets off, or else I feel like I'm going to combust. _Jesus, Clare. That's not exactly a good way to start off your new job… _I sit up and place a hand to my head, which throbs painfully. _So much for only one shot_, I think, and stand up. I close my eyes for a second to gain my balance, and I can't help but think back on the dream. What the hell was that? It was… _Hot_. My eyes snap open, and I shake my head. I need to stay focused, and not think about my boss biting my ear. The thought alone makes my inner muscles clench, but I brush it off, trying not to feel my cheeks flush.

Walking over to my closet, I pick out a skirt that almost matches the shade of gold in the office, and pair it off with a black blazer, and black peep-toe kitten heels that have little black bows on them. Matching the office, now that's corny. I almost roll my eyes at my own lameness. I head into the bathroom, and I brush my teeth, and pull my hair back the way I'd worn it yesterday. Due to my mother's comments about my makeup, I decide to go light; skipping the mascara and the eye shadow and merely going with a coat of clear lip gloss and a bit of cover up. If that isn't enough for my mother, then I don't know what is.

Once I'm ready, I head out into the living room to see Alli sprawled out on the couch, a nearly-empty bottle of alcohol on the floor by her head. Walking over, I grab the bottle off of the floor and put it in the kitchen where it belongs. The last thing we needed was that being spilt and the house smelling like booze for God only knows how long. I head back into the living room, and decide that it's good enough for me to leave, although I probably won't come home to it being this clean. I grab my keys and briefcase and I open the door, making sure to lock it behind me so that no one gets in while Alli's comatose. It's paranoia, but I've always preferred to be on the safer side, rather than the sorry side.

I jump in Latte and drive to Gold Inc., feeling nervous excitement coil in my gut. This is it, my first official job… Well, anywhere. Unless the summer that I helped out the librarians sort books counts, which I really don't think it does. I'm anxious to make this one work, and as I get out of my car and head into the golden building for the second time in twenty-four hours, I try to make myself look like I'm totally prepared for this job, even though my knees are shaking, and I can feel my palms sweat.

As I enter the building, Ms. Blonde Highlights looks up and actually smiles at me, her eyebrow of disdain actually lowered for once. "Well, well. You got the job? Congratulations." She says, and right as I'm about to thank her, her phone rings, and she picks it up, waving her hand at me as she'd done yesterday. "Gold Publishing Inc. One moment please, I'll transfer your call…"

It's like a sense of déjà vu as I walk over to the elevator, only this time I work here. I wait next to a woman whose eyes I'm too afraid to meet, and when the elevator arrives, we both walk inside. I go to press the button for my floor, but she beats me to it, and I look at her, seeing that it's the woman who greeted me yesterday. She seems to recognize me, and her sharp face loosens with a smile, and it seems as if her whole face is less pointy, her eyes lighting up. "Hello, you're…" she trails off, and I can tell that I'm meant to finish the sentence for her.

"Clare." I say, and hold my hand out to her, which she takes in a firm grip. In a way, she reminds me of my mother; very direct, strict looking, and a "no-nonsense" look about her. I don't know if I should be wary of her, because I know how my mother can get, or if I should trust her immediately.

"Well, Clare. I'm Rose," the name rings a dim bell from my interview yesterday, and I realize that she was the one that Eli- er, Mr. Goldsworthy- called on the phone to get me ready for today. "I'm not entirely sure who'll be showing you around the office today, but knowing Elijah, it'll be me. I'm efficient in training, so he usually leaves it to me." I take note of the use of his first name, wondering if it's because he's so young. I don't see how he could possibly own his own company when he barely looks older than me, maybe twenty-six at the most.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll look forward to it." I'm surprised at the sophistication of my own answer, not entirely sure where it came from. Eli already knows that I'm unqualified for this job, at least I can put on a show that I know what I'm doing, to keep him from looking like a fool. She smiles at me as the elevator opens up to floor sixty. We both walk in, and I look around, seeing the people talking by the coffee maker, or in their cubicles, hard at work.

It's then that I realize I have no idea where I'm going whatsoever. I turn to look at Rose, but she's already making her way to her own desk. Once she's seated, she looks up at me, still standing in front of the elevator with a lost expression on my face, and she gives me a small, reassuring smile as she picks up her phone. Dialing a few numbers, she holds it up to her ear, and waits. "Hello Eli, I have Ms. Edwards here." She says, and her eyes flicker over to me briefly. "Where should I send her for training?" her eyes widen a fraction, and she holds up a finger at me, as if telling me to wait. Even though I clearly have nowhere else to go, I nod and stay put. "Alright, I'll send her in, then." She places the phone back in its cradle, and looks up at me with raised eyebrows. "It seems that Mr. Goldsworthy would like to personally train you, due to his last assistant's lack of training. Go right through that door." She points one manicured finger at the door I'd already been through yesterday, which I knew now to be Eli's office. I nod once at her and give her a small smile, which she returns, before knocking on the door to Eli's office.

"Come in." he calls in that bored tone, which I'm starting to realize, is just his normal tone of voice. It's slow, as if you have all day to wait for him to finish his sentence, quiet enough to make you think he's almost too tired to even finish his sentence.

I open the door and step inside, closing it behind me. I walk over to the chair I'd sat in yesterday and sit down, feeling his eyes on me the entire time. I take a deep breath and gather myself before looking up to meet his gaze. A flash of heat runs through my body at the sight of him; looking just as casual as he had yesterday, only today he's in a black shirt with a gold tie. The corner of his mouth quirks up as his eyes trail down my body, and says, "Well, Ms. Edwards. It looks like we're matching."

I look down at myself and remember that I am, in fact, wearing clothes at all, and see that he's right. We are matching. I bite my bottom lip on a nervous giggle, and shrug my shoulders, looking back at him to see the humor is gone from his face, and he's watching me intently. "W-Well, I figured I'd try and match the décor, as corny as that probably sounds." I feel my face heat up as he continues to stare at me, and I wonder if he's mad that I'm wearing the same colors as him, and I immediately wish that I'd just worn anything else.

"Yes, well." He says after some time, and it seems that that's all he plans to say on the subject. "Let's begin your training." He says, and lifts a hand, beckoning me over with his index finger as he clicks a few things on his screen. I walk around his desk and stand behind him, wishing that I'd brought my reading glasses today. I take a step to the side and lean down, trying to read the words on the screen. He clears his throat quietly, and says, "This is our email system, and I'll send you documents, and other works that you're to check over. You're my assistant, which means that you'll go through me to do, well, anything." He stops, waiting for a confirmation that I'm following him in all of this.

"If I breathe, you hear about it. Got it." I say, hoping he realizes that it's a joke. I can tell that he does when his lips tilt up in that sexy smile that makes my insides quiver. _Easy, Clare…_

"Exactly." He says, humor lacing his tone, before he gets serious once more and turns back to the screen. "We've given you your email address for the company, and you'll see some things in there to sort through already. Are you capable of travelling for meetings?"

"Yes, of course." I say, and nod my head, even though he's not looking at me to see it. I look at the screen, leaning in a bit closer as he clicks on one of the documents, and I try to read through it.

"Good. We have a meeting in New York City this Saturday, and I'd like you to be there, and hopefully have all of this worked through." I may not be a professional at this job, but I know for a fact that I'm capable of checking work, and getting things organized. I suddenly feel a little more hopeful that I'll be able to do this job properly.

"I can handle that." I smile a bit to myself, sounding confident for the first time since getting this job. He exits the document and clicks on a different one, it looks like a schedule, but I can't tell because it's sideways.

"This is my schedule. Being my personal assistant basically makes it your schedule, as well. You get me lunch, drinks; basically the stuff you expect from an assistant, but you also come to meetings with me. You make sure that I have all the paperwork I need for it. You get your lunch break for an hour each day, and when there are no meetings, you're free to work on your assignments. Otherwise, well… It's a lot of homework, but the pay is good." He turns his head for the first time, looking at me straight on rather than from his peripherals. "Sound good?" he asks, his voice hushed. I can feel the air of his words hit my ear, and I can't help but think of another time when his lips were so close to me.

_"So wet for me already."…_

My breath rushes out, and I can feel my heart rate stutter and my breathing rate hike up slightly, my chest heaving. The change is quiet, thank god, and I hope that he can't tell the sudden change. I know I can; heat rushes through my body, and I clench my thighs together, biting my bottom lip. I close my eyes and try to think of something else, anything else…

"Clare… Are you alright?" he asks, placing a hand on my shoulder, which doesn't help my situation whatsoever. I stand, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment. He's looking at me in concern, but once he gets a good look at me; cheeks red, breathing heavy, and most likely want in my eyes, his expression changes. His eyes seem to go from an emerald green to something darker, a deep green that promises you every sin you could ever dream of. "Clare?" he asks again, his voice a little deeper, and my legs very nearly turn to Jell-O right there on the spot.

"I… _Ehm_," I clear my throat, realizing that even my voice sounds different. I need to get out of there fast, and recollect myself. "C-Can I go to the bathroom?" I let the words out on an exhale, not quite trusting myself to form coherent sentences at the moment.

He stares at me for a moment, his eyes still so intense that it makes my knees weak, before he shrugs one shoulder and gestures towards the door with that smirk, oh my… "Be my guest. Just don't take too long, Ms. Edwards. I don't like to be kept waiting."

I nod, and leave my briefcase on the desk, rushing as fast as I can-in heels- out of that room, and away from the man who makes me want to do things that I've never thought of doing to anyone else before.


	3. Not-Offices and Almost-Kisses

**So hello, it's me again. I love the reviews I got for the last chapter, so I couldn't help myself from giving you even more of our sexy Eli. Shout out to elisclare who agrees with me on the fact that we truly need more of a controlling Eli in this fandom. I hope you didn't choke too hard on your water. **

**I'll be posting a poll on my page soon to ask opinions on what should happen at the meeting on Saturday, so look for that because it'll decide how quickly I bump this thing up for you. I'm good at suspense.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Colleen; aka the best Beta ever.**

**Read on, loves, and don't forget to review.**

**xxo- D**

* * *

I manage to make it to the restroom without spontaneously combusting, and I'm glad to see its one room; I step in and lock the door behind be, bracing my hands on the side of the sink, debating on filling it with water and just submerging my head in it to cool myself off. My skin feels as if it's on fire, and I look at my reflection.

I look… Aroused. If I, Saint Clare, can see that with my flushed cheeks, dark eyes, huge pupils, and short breaths, am aroused, then it's obvious that Eli must have known as well. I lift my hands to my face, looking away from my reflection to drop my head into my palms and groan in frustration. He must think I'm a total fool.

I take a deep breath and look back at myself in the mirror, narrowing my eyes at the horny little wanton in front of me. "Now listen here." I say quietly, and her mouth moves too, her face determined. "You are going to walk back in that room and you are going to act like that didn't even happen. You will go back into that room, and ask him so many questions that his head will spin, and you are not going to lose this job because you have wet dreams about your boss, missy." I step back from the mirror and take a few breaths as I tug at the hem of my skirt and blazer, and try and look as un-sexually frustrated as possible. Nodding once at my reflection, I leave the bathroom with my head held high.

I get a few looks from some of the people by the drink table, holding paper cups and eyeing me over it. I swear one man smirks at me, but I look down. I know how it probably looked when I ran out of that office like a bat out of hell a few minutes ago. I trudge past them, and I swear someone laughs, but I finally make it to the golden door marked "C.E.O." and I step inside.

I don't dare look at Eli, not yet. Instead I turn to close the door behind me, giving me an extra second to pull myself back into Saint Clare mode, the Clare who is ready to work. Turning, I look over at him, and see that he's watching me in amusement; one ankle resting on his other knee, and his elbow resting on the arm of his chair, his hand cupping his face. One dark brown eyebrow is arched up, and I swear that the right corner of his mouth twitches as he stares at me. I tilt my chin into the air and walk over, opting to sit back in my chair rather than go back to my place by his side. I might just melt into a puddle if I have to stand next to him again. "Thank you." I say, and I silently cheer myself on because my voice doesn't shake. "Anyway, back to the topic of this meeting this Saturday. What needs to be done for it?"

His face evens out, and I can tell that Eli is gone, and Mr. Goldsworthy sits before me. "Gold Inc. is trying to buy out a smaller publishing company. We've got the offer all ready, along with the presentation. It's a two day meeting, so I'll need you to book the hotel reservations, make sure we've got a car ready for our departure early enough for us to make it there in time." He rubs the back of his neck with one hand, and makes a face; looking more boyish than ever before, and this look is almost as good as the one he'd given me earlier. It transformed his whole face, and it took all of my willpower not to whimper like a little teenager. "Plus… I'm definitely going to need a wakeup call." He shrugs. "It's going to be a long day, which means waking up real early which isn't exactly my strong point." He stands, and walks around the desk. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He says, and then he's out the door before I can even respond.

His absence gives me the time to truly look around the room. It's big, and very open. The chair I sit in matches the six others that are placed sporadically around the room. There are two opposite his massive desk that takes up the most space, and between the chairs is a small table, with a little potted plant on it. I arch an eyebrow, and feel myself grin. Eli is apparently one for décor. He's also one for dramatics, if the color scheme of his building says anything. The more that I look at this room, the more it looks… Dirty. I stare at his desk, imagining myself bent over it; skirt flipped up, my knuckles white as I grip the sides of the desk, and Eli behind me, thrusting hard and fast-

… "Thanks Rose." Eli enters the room, finishing off a conversation that I didn't catch. I sit up straight in my seat, realizing that while I was having my little daydream I'd uncrossed my legs, and I could feel that my face was hot. In his hands he holds a Mac laptop, and I stare at it in confusion. Why would he go get a laptop when he literally has a computer sitting on his desk? "It's yours." Eli says, and I look up from the laptop to his eyes, realizing that my confusion must have shown on my face. "It's a strict work computer, so try to avoid using it for… Personal use." The way he hesitates before personal use makes my cheeks heat up, and I see some emotion flicker in his eyes, but it's gone too quickly for me to detect what it is. "Take good care of it; you break it, you buy it." He holds it out in one hand, and I'm quick to grab it, not wanting it to fall. I place it on my lap and rest my hands on top of it.

Rather than go to sit behind his desk again, he walks over and stands in front of it; leaning back and shoving his hands into the pockets on his pants. Seeing him lean against that desk is definitely not good, especially with the things my mind decided to think about that desk earlier… "I honestly can't think of anything else to tell you about your position, it's honestly pretty straight forward." He chuckles, and I try to shake off my sudden dirty thoughts, although not the first ones, that I have about this man. "Would you like to see your office?"

"I get my _own_ office?" I ask, my face surely conveying my disbelief. Since when do assistants get an office to themselves? I can see that I'm correct in this thought when he winces; a crease forming between his eyebrows as he hisses air in through his teeth.

"Well, it's not your own office, but it's a desk, and it's enclosed from the rest of the floor." He shrugs, and steps away from the desk. "Here, I'll show you." He says, and holds his hand out to me. I blink, stunned at the chivalrous act, before gripping the laptop with one hand and placing my hand in his.

It's then that I realize that this is the first skin to skin contact we've had. Earlier, he'd touched my shoulder, but that was through my clothing. His hand was rough, and calloused, like he's used to manual labor, although I can't see how in his profession. It was also big, his fingers engulfing my whole hand in his grip; he had painter's fingers, long and lean. "Clare?" he asks, and my eyes shoot up from his hand to his eyes.

Or, they almost made it to his eyes. For some reason, they got caught on his lips. The lips I'd noticed were so perfectly shaped, and just staring at them now made me want to press my own against them, and feel his hands on my skin while I explored his mouth. I wonder what he'd taste like; earlier when I was closer to him, I thought I'd caught a waft of mint when he'd spoken so closely to me. Would he taste like mint, or maybe something more? Maybe something sexier, like chocolate, or-

"Clare, _what_ are you staring at?" I finally look up at his eyes and see that they're full of confusion, his eyebrows low over his eyes as he scowls at me. I lick my lips, and I swear that his own eyes drop to watch the motion, but he's back to staring at me before I can truly tell.

"Sorry, I- I think I zoned out." I stand, and immediately release his hands. I grip the laptop to my chest and nod towards the door. "Let's go see this almost-office of my own." He smiles at this, shaking his head slightly on a laugh. He opens the door, and stands back so that I can walk ahead of him. I try not melt into a puddle of Clare goo as I brush past him, but my hand tingles from the short contact with his skin, and I swear it's almost like we're still touching.

He walks around to take the lead, walking a half step in front of me. He waves at Rose, who's standing at the fax machine. She waves at him, and gives me a small wave of my own. I wave back, and give her a smile of my own before she turns back to the fax machine.

Eli's head whips around and he stares at me in disbelief, stopping in his tracks completely. I come to a stop beside him, and arch an eyebrow in question, wondering what's going on. "Rose likes you?" he asks, sounding like he can't believe it, and I'm not sure whether I should take this offensively or not.

"Well, I don't know. We had a conversation in the elevator this morning. It's not like we're long term best friends." I can hear the bitter tone in my own voice, offended by his assumption that I'm practically unlikeable. How rude of him to assume that.

"No," he runs a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "It's just, Rose isn't one to take to people. The only person she really talks to in the office is me." He shrugs, and looks at me intently. "How peculiar." He says finally, his voice hushed, and I swear I can almost hear awe in his voice.

With that, he starts walking again, and I realize that we're not going very far. The wall of his office ends, and branched off from it is another cubicle wall; leaving only a small space at the opposite side between another wall and it for someone to walk through. Now I see how he meant my "own office." It's basically its own little room, only it lacks a door.

He walks ahead of me and steps behind the walling. I follow his lead, and I see that it's small; a black mahogany desk pressed against the wall of his office and the cubicle wall, and a rolling chair pushed in. There's a lamp on the desk, and a calendar, with a few dates already marked in neat script that I assume is the old assistant's.

That's not what makes my mouth drop, however. It's the wall behind all of this. It's made entirely of glass panes. From here I can almost see all of Manhattan it feels like. I realize that I'm gawking at the view, because Eli says, "It's quite the view, I know. If you're the queasy type, don't step towards the window."

I close my gaping mouth and nod at him, walking over to the desk and placing the laptop on top of it. I see that the New York meeting is circled on the desk calendar. "It's nice." I say, and look up at him, smirking. "The best not-office I've ever had."

He smirks back at me, and arches an eyebrow up. "Why, Ms. Edwards, I didn't know you had a sense of humor." He teases, and when he jokes, I swear he looks like he's no more than seventeen.

"Well, Mr. Goldsworthy, there's a lot you don't know about me." I say, and give him a pointed smile. He holds up his hands in surrender, and laughs.

"True, true. Alright, I'll leave you to it… You think you'll be all set?" he asks, getting back to business, and I find myself missing the playful Eli, but of course that's preposterous.

I nod at him, and take a seat at my desk. "I'll work on editing the things in my email, and booking the hotel and such for Saturday." I salute him, before continuing. "You can count on me, chief."

He nods, and touches the phone that sits on the corner of the desk. "The extensions are all on here," I see that there's a list above the dial pad, and I thank the Lord that I won't have to remember them all on my own. "If you need anything, just call." With that, he walks away.

I sit and give myself a minute to collect my thoughts. It seems like I constantly need to do this after talking with Eli. Maybe it's the way his skin feels, or the way his lips are shaped… Or maybe it's the way his smirk looks, or how sexy his laugh sounds. Whatever it may be, I know one thing for sure.

"I'm so in for it." I sigh aloud, before opening my laptop and booting it up. On the screen is a Word Document that gives me instructions for my new email through the company, and how to get into it.

I open Google Chrome, and log into Gmail through the company, and see that Eli had already been in here earlier, because I see that the documents he'd clicked on were already un-highlighted. I also have a new message from Eli, himself.

**To: **

**From: **

**Subject:** Logging In

Ms. Edwards, once you log in, change your password, and then proceed to correct the documents discussed earlier. Also, don't forget to book the hotel and make sure a car is here in time on Saturday. I'm always punctual.

E. Goldsworthy.

I read through it, and then delete it, following his instructions to change the password, and then I get to work on fixing up the documents. If there's one thing I can tell, it's that Eli is actually very good when it comes to grammar. He punctuates correctly, and there are very few things that I have to fix. Still, it's time consuming work.

I work for the rest of the day, stopping only when Eli comes by to ask for lunch. It's a relief to see that I really won't have to spend that much time with him. After what I've experienced so far, too much contact with Eli might put me in an insane asylum. I go get him food from a Thai restaurant down the street and then it's back to work. By the time I look up again, the sky is a deep shade of purple, and I quickly look to the clock to see what time it is. It's after eight, and I feel my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Gosh, where has the day gone?

I go back to the document that I'm working on, trying to find a good stopping place. I'm about halfway through, and I'm touching up a paragraph on the efficiency of merging companies- it seems a little pretentious in its phrasing- when Eli walks around the side of the cubicle, looking at me in disbelief even though he'd come looking for me.

"You're still here." He says, and nods his head towards the floor. "Everyone else is gone; usually I'm the last one here at night. I'm going to close up." He smiles apologetically at me. "Looks like you need to pack up, too."

I nod, and finish up the sentence I'm working on as he says he needs to check the floor to make sure that no one else is still here. I close my laptop and put it in my briefcase, putting it in my mental to-do list to buy myself a laptop bag to carry it around in. Once I'm done, I stand, and walk out of my not-office, making sure to turn the light off afterwards.

I head over to the elevator and hit the button, waiting for it to arrive, which can take a while considering that you never know what floor it's sitting on. I feel rather than hear Eli come up behind me, and a shiver works its way down my spine. "Looks like we're the only stragglers." He says quietly from behind me, and I realize that he's closer than I originally thought. I don't think that my mouth can work, and I'm surprised that I'm still standing somehow. It's a mystery to me how it's even possible, but I thank God that it's at that moment that a chiming signals the arrival of the elevator.

We both step inside, and he presses the number for the first floor as he walks over to stand beside me. I tell myself that this is going to be completely fine, but of course that's before the doors close. It seems like the space gets even smaller, and I can feel the sides of his fingers brush mine, and it sends tingles through my veins.

"How'd your first official day go?" he asks, and gives me a polite smile. I look up at him, and try not to cave in on myself, because his eyes are dark; maybe from the darkness of the elevator, or maybe for another reason entirely.

"It was… Fine." I can hear how breathy my own voice sounds, and I bite my bottom lip, unable to break eye contact with him. He loses the smile, and he stares at me intently as the silence stretches between us. I don't know who leans towards who-maybe both of us- but somehow he's barely an inch away from me. I let my eyes slip from his to focus on his lips; lips that are so close to my own that I can almost feel them brush mine every time I inhale.

"… Clare?" his question is a whisper, and it asks more than it reveals. When he speaks, his lips brush against mine, and my own lips part, a barely audible moan slipping from between my lips. His eyes turn into green fire, and I feel his hand touch my waist and I close my eyes and purse my lips in waiting.

The elevator dings, bringing me back into reality, and I spring away from him, seeing that he does the same. We stare at each other from each side of the elevator, breathing hard. He opens his mouth as if to speak, then closes it again.

"I-" he begins, but I don't hear another word as the elevator doors open and I make my escape.

It's then that it occurs to me that I spend more time running away from Eli than I do being his assistant, and I feel as if this is an omen. I shake the feeling and hurry from the building.


	4. Don't Throw the Rotisserie Chicken

**So, fare warning, Eli makes no solidified appearance in this one, but it's a filler chapter, which everyone knows I despise, so don't complain. Instead just tell me it's lovely even though it's not so that you can have Eli at his sexiest in the next chapter, which will be the big meeting. **

**Shout out to Colleen for putting up with my bitching and moaning throughout the awful nails on chalkboard that was writing this damn chapter of pure misery.**

**Enjoy a clueless Jake. May the world never throw a rotisserie chicken at his head.**

**Without further adieu,**

**xxo- D**

* * *

"So, how's the new job going?" Jake asks me as we walk down the aisles of Market Basket. He tosses things in the carriage spontaneously, as if it's his money that's going to be buying it, which is obviously not the case, since he's turned out to be the basement child. It's how he'd ended up coming with me to go grocery shopping on a Friday night.

Our parents had gotten married when we were in High School, and it'd gone over pretty well. Jake was the brother I'd never had, at least up until that point. Of course, when it came time to move out, Jake preferred to just crash in the basement and go party for a while. There was only so much of my mom that you could take at one time, which was why he'd jumped at the chance to come grocery shopping with me when I'd called earlier to see how everyone was doing, and give my mother an update about work.

"Work's going alright." I say, and shrug one shoulder carelessly as if I hadn't had multiple wet dreams about my boss already, and I'd only been working there for a week. "It's mostly a lot of fetching, or being the personal autocorrect for my boss, but it's really not so bad." I stop the cart next to the pasta selection and grab a box of penne, deciding that I can make some spaghetti tonight, and make sure that there'll be enough for Alli to heat up for tomorrow night while I'm not there to cook for her. While fashion was her super power, I could never guarantee that I'd come home to an actual house instead of a pile of charred ash if I left her alone in the kitchen.

"You excited for the meeting tomorrow?" he asks as I toss the box of pasta into the carriage. He eyes the selection of canned goods, and grabs a can of Chef Boy-R-Di and tosses it into the carriage, ignoring my pointed glare at the back of his head as we continue on.

"I mean, I guess. It's my first official meeting as an assistant, so it's a big deal, but I'm not worried. I've got everything sorted out, and I think I can manage it." I lie through my teeth, but he seems to believe it, because he nods his head absentmindedly, and I can see that he's fixed his attention on the rotisserie display at the end of the aisle.

Truthfully, I wasn't sure if I could handle this meeting, but not for the obvious reasons. I'd been civilly avoiding Eli ever since we'd had that moment in the elevator. For the rest of that night, I'd convinced myself that it hadn't even happened, that I was actually just imagining it. Of course that changed the next morning when I'd walked in, and he'd been waiting for me in my cubicle.

-x-

The elevator doors open, and I walk into the office, seeing that most people haven't arrived yet. I tried to get here a little earlier today to get a head start on working, and to be honest, try and minimalize contact with Eli. I make a quick dash past his office, even though his blinds are closed, so you can't see inside. I heave a sigh of relief once I know that I'm in the clear, and walk into my not-office to see Eli standing at the window, his forearm balanced against it as he looks outside. I gasp in surprise, and my hand flies to my chest as I try to slow my racing heart. He looks over at me, and arches an eyebrow at me in question.

"You startled me." I say, and place my briefcase and my new purple laptop carrier on the desk and return his arched look with one of my own, asking him what he's doing here silently.

"I… I wanted to talk to you about last night." He starts, and I feel my pulse pick back up. He looks like he's at a loss for words; his eyebrows pinched together, a little crease in between them. I want to smooth that crease over with my fingertips, but I ignore the urge and instead jump to speak while he still doesn't know what to say.

"It was nothing. We were tired and leaning towards the wall, hence each other and it was nothing." I hurriedly say, hoping that the pace of my words will show him that he's meant to agree with me and just continue on with his day.

Instead he scowls, looking angry, and I don't think I've ever truly seen him angry. His nostrils flair and his mouth that I stare at so often tightens around the corners. "So that's what you're putting it off as, huh?" he asks, his tone short and cold. I nearly flinch, almost feeling the words as if he'd hit me with each one. I tilt my chin into the air stubbornly and nod, daring him with my eyes to challenge my judgment.

"Of course, there's nothing else to it, Mr. Goldsworthy." I say in my most polite tone, and then turn to unlock the briefcase and grab all three items he'd wanted corrected for him. "Here are your documents, printed and ready for the meeting." I say, turning for a mere second to shove the ginormous stack of papers into his arms, before turning and grabbing a small flash drive. "I also have them all on here, in case we somehow lose anything from here until Saturday." I turn and give him the flash drive, looking at the items in his hands rather than up at his face. When he stands there, not saying a word, I can't help but glance up at him.

He's staring at me, his eyes void of any emotion. They're completely blank, not even holding his usual disinterested face. He nods his head at me once, and says, "Thank you Ms. Edwards. It seems you've thought of everything." I can't help but feel like he's no longer talking about the documents as he says this, but he continues on before I can truly ponder it. "With that, I'll leave you to your work." He brushes past me, and is out of my not-office before I can say another word, and I stare at the gap in the wall where he'd gone, and I can't help but feel like I'd truly messed everything up.

-x-

"Hello, Earth to Clare?" Jake says, waving his hand back and forth in front of my face. I blink a few times, startled out of my reverie. He holds up his other hand which is holding the biggest rotisserie chicken I've seen them sell here. He looks at me like a puppy looks at its owner when it's dying for a treat, and he asks, "Can I get it?"

I roll my eyes at him and lift my hands in defeat. "You're asking me for the chicken?" I ask incredulously and gesture to the carriage in front of us. "You realize that you've put at least twenty dollars' worth of food in here, right?"

He shrugs his shoulders, and nods his head. "I guess you make a valid point." He says, and puts the chicken inside of the carriage. I stare- or, well, glare- at the back of his head for a few seconds before he rounds the corner into the next aisle, and I follow him, debating on throwing the chicken at the back of his head, but I decide against it, because then I'll most definitely have to pay for it, and that would be a shame.

-x-

I manage to make it through the store, and get all of the things that I need, and sneak most of Jake's food supplies back onto the shelves before we check out. In the end, all that's left on the conveyor belt for him is a small bag of chips that he'd grabbed. He helps me load the stuff for checkout, and I watch as his face goes from relaxed to pouty, like a kid who's been tricked into believing that he was getting the best present in the world, and then finds out it wasn't true. He looks up at me, and frowns. "You could have at least saved the chicken." He mumbles, but he keeps helping me anyway, and he even helps me put the stuff away into my car once we're completely done in the store.

I feel sorry for deceiving him, so when he gets into the passenger seat of Latte, and buckles, I hold up the bag of chips I'd gotten for him, and his whole face lights up as he reaches for it, but I pull it back and he looks at me curiously. "You are not to get a single crumb in this car, or you'll be cleaning it. Understood?" He nods his head at me, and I hand him the bag of chips, wincing at the sound of him opening it, as if he'd just physically hurt me.

I turn on the radio, and turn to back out of the parking space, before putting the car in drive and heading towards my mother's home to drop Jake off. He eats his chips in silence, and I'm thankful that he seems occupied, feeling like I'm dealing with a child in a way, but once the chips are gone, he's back to talking with renewed fervor. "So, this meeting tomorrow, is it just you and your boss going?" he asks, and I bristle automatically before realizing that he can't mean anything by it, because I haven't told a soul about anything that's happened between Eli and I.

"Yeah, it's just us." I respond, glad that my voice isn't sharp, or mean, because I don't want to purposely make him suspicious of anything. "Apparently he wants to merge another company with his own. It's smaller, and he thinks they'll sell out with a high enough price, and a good enough pitch." I think back on those documents that I spent ages going over. "Honestly, the pitch _was_ really good, so I think he'll get it. Plus, he seems like the kind of guy who's used to getting his way."

Jake makes a face, and I hope that I haven't given too much away. "He sounds like your typical rich CEO of some company." He laughs, and puts a foot up on Latte's dashboard. "I bet the guy has never had to worry about a thing in his whole life." He says, and looks over at me to see if I share the humor of his joke, but he sees instead that I'm glaring at his foot on my baby, which he quickly removes. "Sorry." He says, and wipes at the dash, even though I'd already seen that it was clear of foot prints, thank the Lord.

"He's not _that_ bad." I say, feeling the need to defend Eli for some reason. Who knows; it could be totally true, and he's never actually had to worry about anything, but it seems wrong of Jake to just assume it about him. "I mean, he cares about the company, and I'm sure he constantly has to worry about if something bad is going to happen to it, and he'll have a ton of people out of jobs." I stop my rant when I hear my voice getting higher, and edgier, plus I can see that Jake has noticed it too.

"Well, excuse me." He says, holding up his hands as if I'm some sort of caged animal. "I was just saying… Nevermind, it's whatever." He looks out the window, going all moody on me, and I sigh heavily.

"Don't go all Edward Cullen on me." I say, but he continues to ignore me. I try for a different approach, and ask, "How's Katie?"

At this he perks up, and looks over at me. "She's good. We're good. I might be moving into her apartment with her." He says, and I feel my eyebrows fly up in surprise.

"Jake Martin, moving out of our parents' house?" I ask, and fan myself. "Oh my, I never thought that this day would come. I think… I think I might cry." He laughs, and I turn back to the road, turning onto the familiar street.

"Yeah, well, it's about time. I can't exactly crash here forever." He places a hand on my shoulder, which I immediately shrug off, wishing he wouldn't do that while I'm driving. "Plus, things with me and Katie are getting serious, and who knows where it'll go." He gets quiet, and I let him sit in his thoughts as I park the car in front of the house. I sit there, waiting for him to get out of the car; instead he turns to me and looks at me seriously. "You know, I think it's better to just try something and see where it goes, rather than just overanalyze something to the point that you don't want to do it anymore." He looks at me expectantly as if I'm supposed to confirm this for him. "Don't you agree?"

I look at him for a few moments, trying to think my answer through. I find my thoughts drifting once more to Eli, and I blurt out, "But what if you know that it won't end well; that there's no possible way for something good to come from it?"

He looks at me, his head cocked to one side as he studies me. "Well, at least you tried. It's better to at least attempt, and then say, 'Oh well, I gave it my best' than just wonder what it all could have been like." It's this moment that makes me realize that sometimes I underestimate my step-brother.

"I hope that everything works out for you and Katie if you do move in with her." I say, and I truly mean it. I know he says that it's better to at least try, and fail, but I hope that when they try, it'll work out for them. He looks reassured by my words anyway, and smiles at me.

"Thanks Clare. I'd better get in there. Your mom's probably watching the window like we're going to rob her." He laughs, and I laugh along with him, savoring this sibling moment that we so rarely have. He gets out of the car and waves to me as I back into the driveway to turn around, and then head back the way I came.

I can't help but wonder if maybe he's right, and it's better to just try rather than just wonder what it would be like. It seems like it's a thought I can't shake as I head back towards my apartment, and for the first time since the elevator scene, I wonder what might have happened if I hadn't run, or if I hadn't run when we were in his office. I wonder if maybe it's time for me to stop running, and just… Try.


	5. Shower Calls and Fancy Hotels

**Well, well. I bet you all never thought you'd hear from me, and with another chapter no less. So here's the deal, I was reading some God awful Fanfiction today while in a six hour car ride, and I remembered my cute little story I'd started a while back, and I realized that I had 41 reviews for five (technically four) chapters. And I realized that if I was a reader, I would have been pretty pissed. I still get notifications about people following this story, and reviewing, and I realized that I'm going to finish it. I don't know where it's going, but it's going somewhere. It had potential, and my life got too hectic to actually keep up. So I won't promise every other day updates, but I can promise you that if you nag me enough I can have one at least every week. So read on, babes. I decided to start off with some sexy Eli to make up for my absence. This one's a bit short, but I wanted to get it out as fast as possible so that everyone knew the news, and would be pumped up for it.**

**Happy readings.**

**-D ;)**

* * *

The alarm goes off the following morning at five A.M., and I groan into my pillow as I crack an eye open. My bed is too warm, and my eyes are too heavy for me to even think about moving, but the incessant buzzing of the alarm, and the thought of the day's event was enough to motivate me enough to roll to the far side of my bed and turn the alarm off.

I grab my iPhone off the nightstand and click the home button, opening it up, and scrolling through my contacts until I find Eli's name. Clicking on it, I tap the call button with my index finger and press the phone to my ear, listening to it ring, and ring, and ring. I sigh, and shake my head. He tells me to wake him up, and then he decides not to answer. I roll my eyes, and I take the phone away from my head, lighting up the screen, and just as I'm about to end the call, I hear a loud static like sound.

"_Hello?" _I faintly hear over the sound, and I put the phone back to my ear, wincing at how loud the sound is.

"Hi, Mr. Goldsworthy. It's Clare... With your wake up call." I say, speaking louder than normal in hopes that he'll be able to hear me over all the raucous.

"_Ah, Ms. Edwards. Thanks for the call, but I'm already up. I'm currently showering." _he says, sounding echoish, and it's then that I realize what the static sound is, and why his voice sounds so far away. My mouth goes dry at his words. I can't help but picture him naked, water running down his body as he rubs shampoo into his hair. My heart beats a bit faster, and I can feel my breath rush through my lips as I give in to my fantasy of him.

"_Ms. Edwards? Are you still there?" _I sit up in bed, and feel my face go red as he brings me back to the present. My face scrunches up, and I beat the heel of my palm against my forehead, mentally belittling myself for getting so wrapped up in the mental image of my _boss _naked.

"Uh- Yeah. I'm here, sorry. I, uh, zoned out for a second." I say, turning on the lamp beside my bed and blinking in the harsh light as I try to adjust.

"_Don't go zoning out on me today, Ms. Edwards. I need you sharp, and on your A-Game. It's a very important day." _he says, and I sigh, knowing that he's right. I need to put my fantasies of Eli to the back of my mind and pay attention to the task at hand; merging Gold Publishing Inc. and Mason and Co.

"Right, okay." I say, standing up and making my way over to the neatly set up uniform that I'd laid out the night before. "The car will be picking me up first at my apartment, and then you'll meet us outside of your building. From there, we make a quick coffee stop, and it's a four hour ride from there to the Holiday Inn. We'll be set up and ready by ten thirty, and they'll be there by eleven. The meeting will go for however long it takes to seal the deal, and then I've got the rooms booked for the night." I ramble off the agenda, getting my mind back on a professional track as I strip myself of my sleeping shorts, and slip into my tights and black skirt. I put the phone back on the nightstand and press speaker as I strip off my tank top and slip into my white under shirt, and black blazer.

"_Excellent." _he says, and I can't help but feel elated by the surprised satisfaction in his voice, like he thought I wouldn't actually be able to schedule his life accordingly. _"And what about the pitch?" _

"I've made some note cards with key points, in case you forget, and I've made up copies of the actual paper for all of the eleven board members who are going to be there. I also took the liberty of making you an actual presentation on Powerpoint, with charts, data, and numbers. I also have the flash drive if I somehow manage to throw all the papers into a fire pit." I say the last part in humor, and I hear him chuckle lightly. The sound is like liquid sex, and my stomach flips over as the image of him in the shower, naked, comes back into my mind.

"_Well, then. It sounds like you are all ready for today." _he says, and I smile to myself as I slip my feet into my pumps.

"Yes, sir. I need to go finish getting ready. I'll be at your apartment at six A.M." I say, giving him fair warning to be on time, and he chuckles again. I really need to get out of this phone call.

"_Yes, Ms. Edwards. I promise I won't be late." _he says, and without a goodbye, hangs up. I frown, feeling slightly brushed off as I make my way into the bathroom to do my hair, and get ready for the meeting, my stomach fluttering nervously.

-x-

We arrive at Eli's building at six on the dot, and I'm glad to see him waiting out front, a briefcase in one hand and a black suit and tie on. He looks tidy and neat, except for his ever mussed hair that looks like a woman spent hours running her fingers through it. He smirks as he gets in, waving off the driver as he tries to get out and attend to him. He slides in next to me, and we go over the plans, and my Powerpoint on our way to Starbucks. He seems focused, and a bit tense as we go over the plans, and he reads some of the note cards I'd made for him. It's a bit shocking to see him so tense; I was so used to the bored Eli that it was almost impossible to think that he was even capable of getting nervous.

Once we'd gotten caffeine into our system, things were livelier in our conversation. We talked about ways to win them over, with doughnuts, and presents, and he laughed frequently, a sound that I quickly grew to love in our four hour ride to the hotel. It was rich, and deep, and it sounded like he was almost surprised to be laughing, like it was something he wasn't used to genuinely doing.

The four hour ride seemed to fly by, and when the driver opens my door, I'm shocked to see the entrance to the hotel before me. I blink a few times, and glance at Eli from the corner of my eye, glad to see that he seems to be just as shocked by the way time flew by, as well. I slide out of the car with my Mac in hand, and he gets out behind me silently.

I stare up at the gigantic building in front of me, my eyebrows shooting up. The walls are so white, and pristine that they had to be redone frequently. The floors seem endless, and I have a feeling that ours- rooms 507 and 508- were on the top.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Eli says, his voice hushed, and so close to my ear that I could feel his breath against the back of it, making me shiver. "It's one of the finest in the country, you've got to love New York." he says, and he moves from behind me, walking a few paces ahead before turning around and arching an eyebrow up in question.

"Well, Ms. Edwards? Are you coming? We wouldn't want to offset that schedule of yours." he says, and his lips tilt up at the corners, and I purse my own, stomping forward like a child, and as I brush past him, I hear him chuckle, and mumble something about how he hopes to have 'time for a bathroom break,' and it only makes me feel even more like a child.

Once we're inside, Eli turns into Mr. Goldsworthy, the playful, fun man disappearing. Instead he stands back, seeming cold and distant as he watches me from the corner as I check in with the secretary for directions to the meeting room we had rented. As I make my way back over to him, I notice how stiff his posture is, and how distant he looks when I tell him where we're going. I almost want to sigh, but I know that it's a good thing, and instead I follow behind him until we reach the empty room.

I set up the Powerpoint so that it plays on the white wall from a projector that's hooked up to the ceiling. Eli stands in the corner, watching me silently, and I keep glancing at him, and I know my face flushes every time he catches me. By the time all the packets are in their appropriate places, and the presentation is set up, I can feel that my face is on fire, and Eli wears his trademark smirk; Mr. Goldsworthy disappears, at least for the moment.

"Well, then. It's almost eleven." he says, and looks at my handiwork, looking away from me for the first time since we'd walked into the room. "I think we're ready to go."

I swallow, and nod, trying to get myself back in the business mindset instead of the Iwanttobonehim mindset. I can feel my nerves kick in, and I bite my bottom lip, chewing on it as my eyebrows unconsciously tug together in worry. I feel rough fingers on my chin, and suddenly my lip is no longer in my mouth. My eyes fly up to Eli's, who is already looking at me, his green eyes darker than usual as he stares at me intently.

"Don't bite your lip, it's bad luck to bleed at a meeting." he says, his fingers still on my chin, gripping gently as he smirks at me. I smile at him and I feel my nerves ease slightly, and it's then that I realize that it was his intention. He wanted to make me feel less nervous. He must see the shock in my eyes, because he drops my chin, and we're silent for a moment, just staring at each other- his gaze embarrassed, and mine surprised.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of shuffling, and quiet chatter as two women, and a handful of men walk into the room, all dressed professionally, with wary looks on their faces.

The meeting had begun.

* * *

**Well, there it is, the long awaited Chapter Five. I'm not going to demand reviews for another chapter, but if I see positive feedback for my return, it'll probably persuade me to update faster. I definitely think that I'm ready to give this story another go, and I promise, you'll get a little something-something soon.**

**Also, I lost my beta for this story (obviously) and I'm looking for one, just to go over what I have and make some fixes, so if anyone's interested, don't be afraid to PM me.**

**Poll's still up on my page for what you all want to happen. I have an idea, but if you want something specific, I might be generous if enough people vote in favor.**

**Until next time, babes!**

**-D**


	6. Psychotic Godfather's and Business Deals

**Oh god. Okay, so let me explain myself. Recently I have done an entire revamp of my life, due to a lot going on personally, and I seemed to forget writing for a while, which is why you all haven't seen me, but recently I realized that I do in fact love this shit, and you all deserve it, and I am going to continue. So now, in my life-revamp, this exists, so here it is, Chapter 6! Enjoy. xo**

**-Des**

* * *

Eli leaves, taking with him the caring side I'd seen just moments before. In his place, Mr. Goldsworthy stands, his mouth lifting in a small, business-like smile as he greets each guest personally with a handshake. I stand beside him, shaking hands with everyone, and introducing myself to them all, and I even compliment one woman- Tia, as I later learn- on her choice of shoes.

The only man who doesn't bother to shake hands with me is the very last, and who I assume to be the big man of the company. He's a bit big, like my uncle Dan, but instead of black, his hair is white, and his face is wrinkled with age. His outfit screams money- black, with white pinstripes running down vertically- and I can't help but get a Godfather feel from him. He shakes hands with Eli, for a second longer that polite, and I notice the rings that sit on each one of his fingers glinting gold in the sunlight.

I watch Eli's shoulders as he tenses up, giving a short nod as the Godfather releases his hand, and turns to me. He eyes me like a piece of meat, not even bothering to by sly when his eyes fixate on the small gap of cleavage above my blazer. I feel my face flame up in anger as he stares for a moment longer, before ignoring my outstretched hand, and taking his seat at the head of the table which faced our "screen," a self satisfied smirk on his face.

I take a deep breath, and turn to Eli, waiting for instructions, when I see that his face has gone absolutely livid. His fists are clenched at his sides, and I can see the muscle in his jaw prominently from clamping it shut. I place my hand on his shoulder, and he turns to me. He must see my concern, and fear, because he visibly relaxes, taking a calming breath of his own.

"Go sit down in a chair. As far away from Mason Polizzi as possible." Mr. Polizzi, so that was the Godfather's name. "I want you to take notes of how things go, reactions, facial expressions, and anything I mess up." he says the whole thing through clenched teeth, and my gut clenches in fear, but I nod anyway. I quickly scurry into the chair that will be closest to him when he presents our pitch, and I open up my Mac to a blank document.

Eli stands at the front of the room, and opens his arms wide, with a smile. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I'm glad you could all make it today. As I'm sure you all know, we're here to discuss the possibility of merging Gold Publishing Inc. with Mason and Company. Now, let's begin with a brief presentation on the subject."

And it goes on, with Eli highlighting the main points of the Presentation, and everyone listening intently. Even the Godfather listens, although his face seems to be more angry than impressed with our facts on his company, and how ours is, well, better. Still, Eli continues, never faltering, and I find that as he continues, I have nothing to put down for him on the Document I've opened, and the cursor merely blinks at me, patiently waiting.

_Has cute butt. _I write, fully intending to remove it once the actual document is done, but for now, it's the only actual insight I have to Eli's performance. Every word is articulated, each syllable seems to be pronounced, and even his words ending with _t _sound sharp, and perfected, as if he was an actor, performing in the movie of his career. Everything about it was stunningly perfect, and well, so is his butt.

I continued to add to the list, only focusing on the people we were pitching to, rather than my boss with the cute butt. Clearly some people were to perfect to find flaws in, so it was pointless to focus on him. _Of course he's perfect, _I think to myself, _the man is gorgeous, kind, and intelligent. Of course he can't just mess up one simple word. _I very nearly roll my eyes at the irony, but I keep myself in check. I know how important this meeting is, and I can't go messing it up by looking unprofessional.

_Mr. Polizzi seems tense, perhaps we shouldn't have begun with the Powerpoint, and instead talked up his company first. _I write, watching as the Godfather's clenched hands twitch. He seems angry, and the only reason I can think of is that.

The others seem to be focusing on what he's saying, some even nod along with him. Tia, and the other woman seem enraptured by Eli, and I almost wish I could take back the compliment about Tia's shoes. I imagine walking over and dragging them out the door by their hair, but I realize how ridiculous that is. Eli's attractive, and I don't even have the right to begin to feel jealous. I brush it off, but add _Winning over the ladies in the room rather well. _It's spiteful, but I feel my lips twitch in amusement at myself.

Looking back at Eli, I see that he's looking at me, at least for the moment. Anyone else would think that he's just trying to jog his memory, but after spending the week with him, I know him better. I know that the slight furrow between his eyebrows means that he's disgruntled, unable to comprehend something. His eyes, although mostly blank, show his confusion to me, and I give him a small look of my own. _What's he going on about? _I think to myself, and realize that I've zoned out. Perhaps he is searching for his next point, and I've fucked up.

But he's still talking, mentioning numbers and data. It's then that his eyes flick to my computer, and back to me before looking back at our little audience. _Oh, he wants to know what was so funny. _I glance away from him to see if anyone else noticed our eye conversation, but everyone still watches him studiously, without a single change in face. _God, he's good at this._

"To sum things up for you, we're not the bad guy. We're not asking for you to surrender your company to us. With a few minor adjustments in the way the business is managed, it will still be the same company, only it'll have a Gold Publishing Inc. logo on the front door." Eli says, no longer addressing only me, but his eyes are still on me. I give my head a small shake, and widen my eyes slightly, trying to convey the word _later _without drawing anymore attention. In the document, which I've worked up to about a page and a half of notes, I add _maintain eye contact with those you are trying to persuade to your side. _

"What do you say, Mr. Polizzi?" Eli asks, seeming professional yet hopeful, but underneath I detect an irritation. I can't help but feel like it's my fault. _Of course not, the man probably hasn't been told no before. _It seemed likely. He's the kind of man who was used to having everything at his disposal. I feel myself sit up a bit straighter with pride. _I_ rattled Mr. Elijah Goldsworthy, king of cool, calm, professional, and bored. _And of course sexy__. _I mentally roll my eyes at myself and brush the thought aside. He is so far off limits that he is practically in Azkaban.

Mr. Polizzi stands, and although he still looks unhappy, he walks around the table, his team standing up with him in case he simply chose to leave, and he walks around the table. "Mr. Goldsworthy, I trust that what you say is true, and there will be minor changes." His accent is thick as he speaks, and he extends his hand towards Eli, opened for a handshake. "I expect that you will stick to what you say." Eli reaches forward and gives Mr. Polizzi a wide, charming smile, and opens his mouth to speak, when suddenly Mr. Polizzi pulls him forward so that they are face to face. I rise, my chair nearly falling over. Eli blinks, holding up a hand to stop me, but seemed otherwise unaffected entirely by the close proximity. He arched an eyebrow at the man, questioning him silently. The Godfather's jaw clenched, and he spoke lowly. "If you dare try and do more than you say... If I feel that you have so much as set a toe over the line, you will not like the consequences."

He releases Eli's hand, and Eli immediately stands straight once more, having been bent down towards the man who was at least a head shorter than him. "Why, _Signor _Polizzi, I would never dream of it." he says, calm and casual as if the Godfather's threat hadn't even truly existed. He gestures to me and I eye him in confusion. He narrows his eyes at me in irritation, and makes a signing motion with his hand. I breathe out a quiet _oh _and scramble for the paperwork. I hand it over to Eli without a word, and he sets it down on the table in front of the Godfather, who had yet to stop glaring at him. "Now," he starts, and puts a pen down on the paper. "Do we have a deal?"

-x-

"Well that went well." Eli says as he closes the door behind Mr. Polizzi's assistant who scrambles out of the room behind everyone, already shouting about the next meeting, and a dentist appointment.

"Are you _crazy_? The man threatened your life. Are you sure this is the kind of company you want under your wing?" I splutter, feeling like a mess. The entire signing process had taken another hour and a half, and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, the sky mostly shades of purple now. I could feel fatigue in my limbs, and I knew that I must look absolutely horrendous, but after watching Eli's life flash in front of my eyes, I can't seem to make myself care. All I want is a nice hot bath with the fancy bath salts that the hotel provides. Just thinking of it makes my back throb once.

"No matter. He'll come around. They always do." he says, rolling one toned shoulder carelessly, as if it happens at every meeting. He arches an eyebrow at me and points a finger my way. "No one likes admitting that they're not top dog, but he'll accept it eventually." He then flips his hand so that his long fingers are extended towards me, palm up. "Now then, the flash drive with my notes." he says, and I feel my face flush.

"Oh, right. Sorry." I say, walking over and saving the document onto the little, black thumb drive before -unsafely- disconnecting it and handing it over to him. His fingers close around my hand, and I freeze, my eyes flashing from our hands to his eyes, which seemed to have darkened considerably. I can't look away, and suddenly my throat feels dry. His tongue peeks out from between his full lips, and runs a trail from one side of his bottom lip to the other, my eyes greedily tracking the entire movement. I swallow hard, and let out a shaky breath. He's got to kiss me, or something, anything. I've never wanted anything more than to know what those lips would feel like pressed against mine. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, gnawing on it lightly, and then-

Then his hand is no longer wrapped around mine, and the moment seems to have passed. He turns, putting the drive in his pocket as he collected his paperwork. "How about dinner tonight, in celebration?" he asks, his back still to me as I try and compose myself. I can feel my face flush, and I take a deep breath, trying to reign in my control.

"Right, dinner. Sounds great. Where will we be dining?" I try and sound normal, but I can just faintly hear my voice shake.

He doesn't seem to notice as he turns and flashes me a smirk. "Oh, that's a surprise Ms. Edwards. Be downstairs in the lobby at seven." he says, and turns, leaving me feeling annoyed, confused, and turned on, which I was beginning to see was normal when dealing with Elijah Goldsworthy.

* * *

**Well. I made you all wait only about a year for this. I promise you that in the next chapter, we'll start seeing some real action. Anyway, I should have it up _tomorrow _to make up for my shitty activity the past month. Oy I am a failure to you all. -Sighs- Love me, anyway?**

**Review, Rate, Favorite.**

**xoxo**

**-Des**


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